Moving forward on Danforth farm use

Friday

Apr 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM

Noting that "this was the first issue I took up when I decided I wanted to be a town councilor," West Barnstable’s Phil Wallace told the agricultural commission April 23 that a draft Request for Proposals for farm use of the town-owned Danforth property is nearly ready.

Patriot Staff

Noting that “this was the first issue I took up when I decided I wanted to be a town councilor,” West Barnstable’s Phil Wallace told the agricultural commission April 23 that a draft Request for Proposals for farm use of the town-owned Danforth property is nearly ready. It will be accompanied by a resolve he’ll bring forth to the town council early this summer.

The concerns of hikers and mountain bikers have been taken into consideration, according to Wallace, who said there has been discussion of moving the trail to create better access for such uses. The farmer whose proposal for the property is accepted, he said, would be charged with maintaining the trails.

Wallace noted a recent Barnstable Patriot poll that showed 70 percent of respondents saying farming at Danforth would “provide many benefits to the community.” Twenty-nine percent agreed that such use would “disrupt the use of nature trails and disturb the neighbors.”

While it anticipates the council’s decision on farming at Danforth, the commission is pressing for agricultural uses elsewhere in town. Possibilities include grassy lots around the Hyannis rotary and the site of the former Mildred’s next to the airport; the former have been, in a way, land-banked pending reconstruction of the rotary and the last-named is covered with asphalt.

Plettner said Buntich has been “very helpful and encouraging about community gardens. She’ll have some other suggestions.”

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